Raptors at Warriors preview: The west coast gauntlet continues
By Graeme Klayh
The (7-4) Toronto Raptors will try to pull off a win against a (11-0) Golden State Warriors team that looks like they are not going down anytime soon. Stephen Curry isn’t slowing up as he builds another historical season, which for my fantasy team’s sake, I hope not. That’s not good news at all for the visiting club. Historically, teams playing against the defending MVP do not tend to have the edge (science).
For more information on Curry’s ridiculous 11 game start to the season, please peep your eyes to Adam Fromal’s piece on Bleacher Report.
Nov 11, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) drives to the basket against the Memphis Grizzlies in the second quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Aside from that, they have an incredibly diverse lineup of players ranging from 6’7 to 6’9 who can pretty well do everything. On the podcast Jalen and Jacoby, Jalen Rose discussed how Klay Thompson, Andre Iguadola, Harrison Barnes, and Draymond Green can all shoot, dribble and pass, and defend multiple positions. This team is deep and cohesive, one of the best teams we have seen in some time. The Raptors have their work cut out for them.
Three keys to victory
Marginalize Stephen Curry
Curry has been by far the most impressive and superbly consistent player in the NBA this season. There is no way to completely neutralize him since he has all the offensive weapons. There have been games where he scored less than 10 points in a first half but then ignited in the second half for 20+ points. The point is, he can be human and needs attention for every moment he is on the court. If he is cold, do not slack off him, because it only takes a moment for him to heat up.
Curry usually plays the whole first and third quarters, and will play spot minutes in the 2nd and 4th if need be. The Raptors have had slow starts in the 1st yet are incredible in the 3rd. They need to even out the beginning to compete with Curry in this one.
Run the shooters off the 3pt line
The warriors sport a starting line up that features nearly 4 knock down shooters. The Raptors have one and a half. In order to compete with their high octane offense, they will need to limit the three pointers throughout the game. Jonas Valanciunas will have his work cut out for him when they start slicing in the paint. It will be a tough game for Valanciunas if they start putting him in the pick and roll, which will open up passing lanes and jumpers.
Just play perfect basketball
What can I say? This Warriors team is being compared to the 72-10 Chicago Bulls. This Raptors team is still finding its footing with new players and new schemes, but in order to compete they are going to need to play the full 48 minutes. The Sacramento game featured an incredible amount of mental mistakes and that will not fly this time. It’s possible for them to come out blazing, but the Warriors have a dynamic offence and defense.
October 5, 2015; San Jose, CA, USA; Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan (10) dribbles the basketball against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the first half in a preseason game at SAP Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Key Players of the Game
GSW: Klay Thompson; he hasn’t been as effective this season on offence because he does the heavy lifting on defense, if he can get it going, it will be a long night.
TOR: DeMarre Carroll; we have seen consistent and team carrying efforts from Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. Carroll is going to need to have a big night to counteract the Warriors depth.
Prediction
The Raptors will fall short by double digits as most teams do against Golden State, but it will still be fun to watch since Steph Curry is doing ridiculous things nightly.
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Graeme Klayh is a Staff Writer for Raptors Rapture. Like” Raptors Rapture on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @RaptorsRapture for all the latest news and updates about the best damn NBA team from Canada.